Popping in for an update! Gingers been doing really good as far as health and peeing. I’ve been unable to walk her since just before I started her on glucosamine, and it seems to be taking a huge affect on her mood. She’s been grumpy and restless at night, and has gone after both Bentley and the cat on two separate occasions (both at night, in dim lighting). I took her on her first walk in a while last night, and she was so excited she ran pretty much the whole way. We just went around the block because it was about to storm, and it actually poured just minutes after we got back, but it was something, which is better than nothing.
I finished my day off at the vets with bringing Ginger in for a check up because I’ve been worried about her hips. Some times she’ll just be standing there, and her back leg will just give out. Vet checked her out and said he could feel some arthritis, but no hip, knee, or back problems. He just guesses that she puts her leg in a position where after a while it starts to slip inwards and once she starts to fall, she’d rather just fall than scramble to catch herself and the arthritis hurt because of the sudden movements. Her reflexes were good and everything, and we didn’t even muzzle her and she didn’t snap at him or anything out of pain, so as long as she’s not bothered by it, I’ll just leave her be. She’s been in great spirits other than being antsy and grumpy at night, and she ran to and from the vet today. He’s surprised at how well she gets around at her age and with the care (or lack of) that she was given before I got her.
All that said, I think her aggressive reactions toward things really are just learned for the most part. Who knows if I’ll ever recondition her to not tense up and sometimes bite at being picked up or touched in certain places. But I can safely pick her up with out getting bit when she’s grumpy, and that’s all that really matters. I just don’t pick her up if I don’t have to. She goes just about anywhere when guided on leash, so I tend to use her leash to get her down from places and out of her comfy spot on my floor.
So over all, she’s doing really good, and I’m very happy with how much she’s come along. I especially love that she runs on her walks and has so much fun on them 🙂
